HEARTLAND &THE PACIFIC EternalMexico
The spotlight is on
carriage drivers, who
save the day for foot
weary visitors to Gua
dalajara, Mexico's
second largest city.
Capital of Jalisco, the
colonial-style city
struggles to balance
worldliness with tradi
tional values. But
when the peso went
down, crime went up.
Now officials find that
crime control- like air
borne toy parachutes
(right) -is often
beyond their reach.
made them famous. Barzonistas have carried coffins into bank offices,
smothered courts with thousands of lawsuits, and blocked highways with
tractors. Once members barged into a bank, tore off their clothes, and
stuffed them into tellers' cages, each protester shouting, "My clothes are
all I have left, and now they're yours."
One of their most effective tactics has been the simple show of num
bers at foreclosure hearings. Not only does this get public attention, but
it also often halts the legal proceedings that the Barzonistas oppose. This
is very much like actions farmers sometimes took in the U.S. during the
Depression -they would show up at farm foreclosures in such threaten
ing numbers that no one would bid.
Though some banks claim that El Barz6n has had little effect on their
business, they worry about their image. "In terms of banks' profits, El
Barz6n is not significant," said Carlos Chavez Solis, director general of
consumer banking for Banca Cremi. "But politically it is important."
El Barz6n has become so powerful that it represents more than just a
reaction to debt. Many Mexicans now see the debt protesters as part of a
widespread grassroots political movement, which includes the Civic Alli
ance, an organization that sends election observers to polling stations to
ensure fair elections.
"Look," Barragan said, speaking of the middle class in general, "we
were a very passive sector, and we are waking up. It is no longer possible
to continue being passive."
"When judges see two or three of us," said Idolfredo P6rez Pardo,
a Barzonista in Uruapan, "they say, 'Here come those clowns from El
Barz6n.' But now, when they see hundreds of us, they realize there's
NationalGeographic, August 1996